A Parisian Mystery
by TheAuthor1996
Summary: John insists that Sherlock needs a holiday to which the detective keeps dismissing but all that changes when 'The Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh gets stolen. Sherlock is in luck that John has a cousin in Paris willing to put him up during his visit. Perhaps our favourite detective may solve the one mystery no one has every come to fully understand. Love
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Dealing With A Detective**

* * *

John was fed up with Sherlock's constant moaning about the lack of cases the last few weeks had brought them,

"You know what you need, Sherlock?" John prodded,

"A holiday" he told him simply causing his friend to scoff as he paced the flat holding his harpoon gun as he normally did when he found himself irritated and John rolled his eyes,

"Everyone needs a holiday, Sherlock" he argued,

"I am not everyone, John. As I am sure you have come to realise in the years we have known each other" he mumbled and John held an expression of thought and held up a finger pointed in the detective's direction,

"How about this?" he asked,

"What if there was a case that took you away for a few weeks? You could relax in your own way yet still have a change of scenery. It will do you some good" John proposed and Sherlock gave a look of thought,

"You have managed to peak my interest. I shall accept the offer if you find me a case good enough to make me travel away from the UK border" Sherlock said holding out his free hand and John smiled and shook his friend's hand,

"I'll take that deal" he said before going to search the internet for a foreign case worthy of Sherlock Holmes.

* * *

Baker Street remained quiet for the following next few weeks until the silence was suddenly broken,

"HOLY MOTHER OF BATTENBURG!" John yelled causing Sherlock to run out of his room, did a forward roll into the living area aiming his loaded gun ready,

"What is it?" he demanded, looking towards John sitting at his laptop,

"Someone stole 'The Starry Night'" he proclaimed mortified causing Sherlock to roll his eyes as he stood, putting the safety on his gun,

"Even your primitive mind should know that such an action is impossible, John" he grumbled turning away but John stood, holding the laptop and brought it so Sherlock could see it,

"Not the starry night as in the sky, Sherlock. _'The Starry Night'_ as in the famous and one of the most valuable paintings in the world by Vincent Van Gogh" John corrected and Sherlock's expression was indeed filled with interest,

"That is almost as nearly impossible" Sherlock said as he took the laptop from John's hands,

"The police are baffled as there is solid evidence. All security, including CCTV and alarms were disabled" John explained what he read as Sherlock examined a photo of the crime scene in which stood the head Parisian inspector and the gallery curator and the detective frowned,

"I do indeed wish that I were able to take this case but... I find myself low on funds and my brother has cut me off since my last visit to a drug den" he grumbled and John thought before clicking his fingers in success,

"My cousin owns a studio in Paris. More than enough room. Two separate bedrooms and I'm sure they'd be more than happy for you to stay there" John said and Sherlock gave a smirk,

"Very well, I shall use the remains of my account to book a ticket" he proclaimed,

"Paris. Sherlock Holmes is at your service" he murmured smugly.

* * *

 **Ooooooo Will John's cousin be what Sherlock is expecting?... Of course not! haha :D**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A New Change Of Scene**

* * *

It was rarely known that Sherlock Holmes hated flying, The power of the mind that created an plane engine was something to be admired but an engine that held a 50% chance of failure during mid-flight was not.

* * *

Taxi rides were something else that Sherlock did not enjoy especially when the driver tried to start a conversation with their passenger, why could a journey from one destination to another remain in blissful silence? This was one thing that the British detective really wished was something he could enjoy as the taxi carried him from the airport to the Paris studio where John's cousin was to meet him.

* * *

Sherlock pressed the buzzer on the apartment building door holding a bored expression as he did so,

" _Hello?"_ a female voice greeted causing Sherlock's expression to turn puzzled,

"Yes, hello. I'm looking for..." he began before checking the name on the buzzer,

"Hooper. John's cousin?" he explained before falling silent to listen,

" _Ahhhhh Yeah you must be his room mate. Come on up"_ the voice told him politely before a buzz erupted indicating that the door was unlocked and Sherlock made his way upstairs.

* * *

A lady with brunette hair and a kind smile opened the studio door for him,

"You must be Mr Holmes. Pleased to meet you. I'm Molly" she greeted holding out her hand for him to shake but he didn't accept and simply moved passed her causing her to feel awkward as she closed the door behind him,

"Make yourself at home" she told him gently before moving towards the kitchen,

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" she asked as Sherlock looked around the studio,

"You are not exactly what I was expecting, Miss Hooper" he mumbled causing her to giggle as she boiled the kettle,

"Yeah, I'm a bit of an amateur artist and a little bit of a writer" she responded causing the detective to turn with an unimpressed expression,

"I meant female" he corrected simply and Molly looked a little bit stunned,

"Oh... right. Sorry, I should have realised when John said you were room mates I didn't know he meant..." she tried,

"Not gay" he said simply before moving into the next room with a bed,

"I trust this is my room. I do not wish to be disturbed. Goodnight" he said simply before closing the door behind him,

"Sorry!" she called before sighing and she heard her phone vibrate before picking it up,

"Hey, John" she greeted with an awkward tone and heard the doctor chuckle,

" _I'm guessing you've met, Sherlock"_ he said and Molly groaned in humiliation,

"Oh he hates me. I think I insulted him" she said nervously,

" _Don't worry, Molls. Sherlock's like that way with everyone. Just don't make eye contact with him and remember that he can smell fear"_ he teased causing Molly to roll her eyes,

"Yeah well... Something tells me that this is going to be a very long few weeks" she mumbled before sighing.

* * *

The next morning found Molly painting a landscape when Sherlock emerged from his room and put on his signature long coat,

"What's the quickest route to get to The Louvre?" he asked in a grumbled tone causing Molly to look up from her canvas and she thought for a moment,

"Errrrrm, Well I..." she tried,

"If you could find yourself to make your thought process act a little more quickly in the future. I would be very grateful, Miss Hooper" he growled sarcastically before moving towards the door in frustration when he heard a clatter as Molly threw her brush to the ground and stood sharply,

"Now you listen to me, Mr Holmes. I have been nothing but polite since you arrived and you have done nothing but treat and speak to me as if I were dirt under your shoe. If you would take one moment to pause in your arrogant nature it would have allowed me to say that I'm willing to drive you to The Louvre" she said firmly and folded her arms with a glare aimed in the detective's direction whom looked stunned before smirking smugly,

"It's about time your back bone grew firm, Miss Hooper" he said,

"You will need that firmness if you are to assist me during my stay here. Come along" he said simply before moving out the door and it was Molly's turn to look stunned before grabbing her coat and car keys,

"Hang on! Did you plan all that just to get that reaction out of me?!" she called after him as she followed him down the stairs after locking her apartment door.

* * *

Sherlock was surprised when Molly changed the radio station when he had chosen one in particular that he found tolerant,

"Rule 1. My car. My radio. I choose the music" she said simply causing Sherlock to smirk amused,

"Very well. That is a reasonable rule to follow" he said before looking at her,

"May I request that I be allowed to call you when I need picking up after I finish examining the crime scene?" he asked and Molly gave an amused laugh,

"There's no way your getting into that part of the gallery" she said and Sherlock gave a smug smirk,

"I'll have you know that I can be very persuasive when a case is involved" he said and Molly rolled her eyes as she stopped at a red light,

"Oh really? So tell me Mr Holmes. How are you going to gain access to a highly guarded crime scene?" she asked sarcastically,

"I plan to monitor the timing of the guards movements surrounding the part of the gallery in which the crime took place. When the time presents opportunity, I shall take it" he said simply and Molly titled her head to the side in mild curiosity,

"Long walk for a short drink of water" she said earning the detective's gaze,

"Meaning?" he prodded as they pulled into The Louvre staff car park and Molly smiled at him,

"You could sneak into a crime scene resulting in you getting arrested or..." she said, holding up an ID badge,

"You can simply walk in with the art historian by your side" she said smugly and Sherlock glared,

"You enjoyed this car journey far too much" he grumbled before climbing out the car and Molly giggled as she did the same,

"Watching you look like an idiot?... Yeah pretty much" she joked before locking her car as they made their way inside the museum.

* * *

 **Please review in order to unlock chapter 3! I only ask as I think something is wrong with my reviews as they are not appearing even when I get a notification. I am not certain if this is a glitch or if someone writes a review and then deletes it haha :D it's happened twice now and its very confusing lol**

 **Fun fact: The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is actually displayed in The museum of modern art in New York City. However giving the fact that I love Paris, Vincent Van Gogh's work and I wanted to write Sherlolly in Paris together, this is what lead to the change of location haha :D**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Splashes Of Evidence**

* * *

Sherlock was baffled,

"How could he do it? How could he enter without disturbing a single speck of dust?" he asked frustrated,

"What makes you think they're male?" she asked causing him to look at her,

"What?" he asked,

"You said how could _'he'_ do it. That would imply that you think it's a man who stole the painting" she said and Sherlock chuckled,

"Very well observed, Miss Hooper. I narrowed the percentage of probability down by the fact that only a man could have the drive to commit a crime this big" he said and Molly folded her arms unimpressed,

"You're saying that a woman isn't capable of this?" she pressed and heard Sherlock chuckle again and Molly shook her head with an unimpressed sigh and the detective stood,

"Very well, Miss Hooper. Prove me wrong. How would you enter this room without any disturbance?" he asked and Molly looked surprised,

"You're asking for my opinion?" she asked unbelieving and Sherlock smirked, walking behind her and brought his lips close to her ear,

"Indulge me" he whispered and Molly looked around the gallery space and took a step towards the wall on which the famed painting once hung,

"This space of the museum is on the ground floor, The fire exits are alarmed so if opened it results in the fire alarm being activated if not already done so" she noted,

"The guards patrol each room every 10 minuets giving the space between each room on the ground floor... So the thief must have known the moment the guards left this room giving them exactly 10 minutes to get in, grab the painting and get out" she said and Sherlock nodded and Molly smiled,

"Where better to observe the guards movements..." she started before pointing upwards,

"The roof" she finished and they both looked up at the glass ceiling and Sherlock smiled brightly,

"Oh that is brilliant. Do those windows open?" he asked and Molly nodded,

"They have too. They have to allow in air to remove condensation so it doesn't damage the paintings" she explained and Sherlock paced a few steps away before looking at her,

"Answer me this, Miss Hooper. The officers only found one set of footprints within this room leading to the painting" he said and Molly nodded,

"Yeah at night, the cleaners put a special polish onto the floorboards that allows us to see the movements of each guard throughout the night... They discovered one set of footprints that didn't belong their that lead straight to the painting" she said more to myself and Sherlock smiled in excitement,

"So what does this tell us?" he asked and Molly looked up at him in understanding,

"They worked alone" she said and the detective clicked his fingers,

"Exactly, So how does one jump from the roof, land safely and escape single handedly?" he asked and Molly moved away a few steps before crouching down,

"There are these condensation marks that would suggest something sprayed air" she said and Sherlock nodded, crouching not too far away from her and watched as she looked up,

"They didn't use climbing equipment. They threw an inflatable landing platform down here allowing them to jump and land safely. Once weight was applied, the platform deflated causing the four corner condensation marks" she noted and Sherlock smirked,

"Next question, Miss Hooper... How did he... Or she get out without having means to once again reach their entrance point?" he asked and Molly looked puzzled,

"They couldn't go back up..." she began and looked at Sherlock,

"So they went down" she deduced and Sherlock nodded,

"Parisian catacombs. Oh this was planned very well, including an exit point that no one else was aware of" he said before knocking his knuckled on the floor earning a hollow echo and Molly looked stunned,

"A secret trap door" she murmured and Sherlock nodded,

"Our thief had the means to take his inflatable platform as well as the painting away without even being noticed" Sherlock murmured and Molly looked as if thinking and Sherlock became curious,

"What's on your mind, Miss Hooper?" he asked and Molly looked at him after a moment,

"I think I know how we can bring our thief back to the scene of the crime" she said and Sherlock felt himself smirk,

"I am all ears, Miss Hooper" he said causing her to smile.

* * *

A breaking news report appeared on the Parisian televisions the next day,

" _Bonsoir, Bien que les autorités aient été incapables d'obtenir le coupable qui a fait irruption dans le Louvre la semaine dernière. La commissaire du musée, Mlle Jenkins, est heureuse d'annoncer que la peinture qui a été volée était en fait un faux. La vraie «nuit étoilée» était loin pour le nettoyage et sera retourné à sa place légitime dans un événement spécial ce soir. Je m'appelle Amanda Jones et c'est une nouvelle de Paris."_ The reporter said with a smile and Sherlock looked towards Molly, curiously,

"Translation?" he requested and Molly smiled,

"She said _'Good evening, Although authorities have been unable to obtain the culprit who broke into The Louvre last week. Museum curator Miss Jenkins is pleased to announce that the painting that was stolen was indeed a fake. The real 'Starry Night' was away for cleaning and shall be returned to it's rightful place in a special event tonight. I'm Amanda Jones and this has been a breaking news report of Paris today."_ she provided and Sherlock nodded,

"Perhaps you might acompany me to tonight's event" he said gently and Molly looked surprised,

"You want me there?" she asked gently and he nodded,

"Of course. This is your plan after all and it is your painting that will be on display" he teased gently causing her to laugh brightly,

"In that case, I would be honoured to accompany you, Mr Holmes" she said and he smirked,

"The honour is mine, Miss Hooper" he replied.

* * *

 **Ooooooo will Sherlock and Molly catch the thief? You will have to review if you want to find out!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Starry, Starry Night**

* * *

The Louvre gallery was bustling with energy as its many patrons mingled amongst each other,

"Your reputation proceeds you, Mr Holmes" One gentleman greeted earning a polite bow from the detective's head,

"Thank you" he replied,

"What brings you to France?" the man asked curiously and Sherlock gave a half smile,

"Let's just say that I am a great lover of art" he said earning a chuckle from the gentleman as his wife gave a giggle,

"Is it true that you are a master of the violin?" she asked timidly and Sherlock gave a bashful smile,

"It has been said but I would not call myself a master" he responded and the couple chuckled,

"Timid and a true gentleman" he praised, raising his champagne flute in tribute,

"I didn't know you played the violin" a voice said causing Sherlock to turn and was stunned to find Molly standing their in a stunning black dress that fell right to the floor and the old man whom Sherlock had been talking too chuckled once more,

"A great lover of art indeed" he teased before taking Molly's hand gently and kissed it in greeting,

"Mrs Holmes, Pleasure to meet you" he said and both Sherlock and Molly looked flustered,

"Oh we're not..." they both said but the gentleman turned as he heard the museum curator tap her glass to earn attention,

"Ooo it's starting. Do excuse us" he said politely before moving away with his wife and Molly and Sherlock stood awkwardly for a moment before the detective coughed as if to clear the air,

"You look nice" he commented and Molly smiled with a gentle blush,

"Thank you... You look very handsome too" she returned and Sherlock gave a bashful half smile before giving her a bow of his head,

"Thank you" he returned before the two fell silent again but Molly found herself glance at his bow tie twice,

"Errrrrr... Your tie is crooked" she told him gently and Sherlock moved his arms from behind his back as if to fix it,

"Here, let me" she told him gently before placing her fingers to the silken accessory and Sherlock held his head high allowing her to fix it and watched her smile softly,

"There. Good as new" she said and looked up at him causing their eyes to meet and they both realised how close they were together,

"Thank you" Sherlock murmured and felt him raise his hand to brush the back of it against her cheek but the moment was broken when the museum curator called his name which was followed by the patrons' applauding him,

"Would you join me up here, Mr Holmes?" she asked and Sherlock reluctantly moved towards the stage platform when Molly gave him an encouraging smile and nod.

* * *

The curator smiled as Sherlock joined her on stage,

"I am a great fan of Mr Holmes' detective works and I am very grateful that he took the time to travel here to assist us in the painting's recovery" she said earning another round of applause and the curator looked at Sherlock as the applause died down once more,

"What made you travel here, Mr Holmes?" she asked and gestured to the podium on which the microphone stood and Sherlock was hesitant but took a step forward,

"Well... In truth. I was bored" he said earning humoured chuckles from the audience,

"However, When I came to France I came to discover what this painting meant to its' people... This painting represents a beauty that only one can enjoy if they respect and choose to understand it" he said earning numerous nods of agreement and Sherlock felt himself look towards Molly,

"The artist is truly someone to admire... The effort and passion that went into the work shows the artist's level of intelligence and it is quite obvious to me as a very high level" he praised and Molly was stunned,

"To me... This painting represents the things that people most yearn for in life. Beauty, Peace, Tranquillity... and most of all love" he said gently,

"Thank you" he said earning another round of applause as he turned and walked towards the curtain that covered the starry night replica that Molly had been painting when Sherlock first arrived in Paris and the detective pulled the cord causing the red curtain to disperse and the guests gasped in horror to see the paint had been disfigured with red spray paint reading the word _'FAKE!'_ and Sherlock turned quickly to see that Molly had vanished and he quickly ran, jumping off the stage, running through the crowd of guests who looked stunned as he did so and Sherlock knelt down feeling the floor frantically,

"Not her. Not today" he said frantically" he growled before finding a crease allowing him to open the trapdoor and he jumped in despite the frantic gasps and protests of the guests.

* * *

Sherlock retrieved his IPhone and turned on the torch so it illuminated the catacombs as far as the light beam allowed,

"MOLLY?!" he called and his voice echoed in reply and he listened for a moment and he listened before hearing a whimper of struggle,

"Sherlock! Sherlock help me!" he heard Molly's voice yelled and he instantly ran down the tunnel the voice came from.

* * *

 **Will Sherlock save Molly? You'll have to review if you want to find out!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: From Paris With Love**

* * *

To explain how Sherlock rescued Molly would be like trying to build a time machine using an old kettle, some string and a paper clip... And I'm sure even Sherlock Holmes would find a way of doing so.

* * *

The person whom stole the starry night turned out to be one Robert Costello, also known as The Louvre's caretaker; He had become insanely set on the fact that after all his years of service, he deserved a bonus and bonus in his mind meant stealing the famed Vincent Van Gogh painting.

* * *

Molly held Sherlock's coat around her shoulders as the authorities put Mr Costello into a police car,

"How on earth does a 40 year old man manage to go all cat burglar and steal a priceless painting?" Molly asked stunned and Sherlock chuckled,

"According to the curator, Mr Costello used to work for the FBI until he was dishonourably discharged. She took pity on him as he was a friend of her brother" Sherlock explained and Molly smiled gently,

"Thank you for saving me" she said and Sherlock chuckled once more,

"If I recall you didn't exactly give me a chance, it was you whom kicked him in the area whom kicked him in the area that made him a man giving me enough time to grab his gun so we could apprehend him" he said and Molly giggled,

"Alright we both saved each other" she said gently and he smiled nodding in agreement.

* * *

Sherlock was hoping to spend an extra week in Paris but he was called by Mycroft demanding his presence back in London much to Molly's dismay,

"Would you mind driving me to the airport?" Sherlock asked and Molly gave him a sad smile,

"Of course, Sherlock" she told him gently before grabbing her car keys.

* * *

Both Sherlock and Molly were silent for a whole 10 minutes before Molly stopped the car at a red light,

"Take the next right" Sherlock said simply and Molly looked confused,

"But the airport's in the other direction" she said gently,

"I want to take the scenic route" he said simply and Molly shrugged before turning right after the traffic light turned Green.

* * *

They were driving down a road beside the River Seine when Sherlock told her to pull over causing Molly to look confused,

"I need to stretch my legs" he explained and she nodded understanding before pulling up beside a parking meter before they both exited the car and walked onto the bridge,

"Someone definitely wanted to make sure that no one could steal this bridge" he joked, gesturing to the many locks that decorated the bridge causing Molly to giggle,

"This is the Pont Des Arts bridge, Sherlock. People come from all corners of the world to attach a lock to this bridge" she explained causing the detective to take on expression of confusion,

"Why?" he asked causing Molly to giggle once again,

"For love" she said simply,

"Couples attach a padlock to the bridge in the name of their love before throwing the key into the water so that no one can break their connection" she said and Sherlock held an expression of thought,

"I didn't tell you to turn right because I wanted to take the scenic route" he explained,

"I simply wished to spend some more time with you before I had to leave" he said and Molly smiled softly,

"I would have done the same thing" she said gently before resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

Sherlock felt himself frown when a voice over announced that his flight was boarding as he stood outside his gate in the airport sometime later and he turned and offered Molly a half smile,

"Thank you for accommodating me, Miss Hooper" he said politely and Molly smiled gently,

"The pleasure was mine, Mr Holmes" she replied before taking a hesitant step forward and she hugged him tightly to which he hesitantly returned before they both eventually had to let go and they did so but with hesitation.

* * *

Sherlock caught a cab when his plane landed back in London,

"Stop here" he said to the driver suddenly who did as instructed and Sherlock found himself entering a corner shop,

"My usual" he said to the shop keeper whom nodded, retrieving a pack of cigarettes for him,

"Anything else?" the shop keeper asked and Sherlock shook his head silently before paying and left.

* * *

The driver continued in the direction of Baker Street when Sherlock asked him to stop again,

"We're crossing a bridge, mate" the driver said rather rudely,

"I said stop here" Sherlock repeated firmly causing the driver to grumble but he did so and Sherlock exited the car before paying the driver,

"I'll walk from here" he said simply before retrieving his case from the car boot and watched the taxi driver drove away before approaching the side of the bridge and lit a cigarette and closed his eyes as he took a calming puff.

* * *

" _Anything else?" the shop keeper had asked and Sherlock had shook his head silently before paying and turned to leave but he turned back at the last minute,_

" _Do you sell padlocks?" he asked._

* * *

Sherlock reached in his pocket before retrieving a small padlock and flicked his cigarette away and he retrieved a sharpie from his other pocket and proceeded to write something on the lock's metal surface before clicking it to one of the bridge's metal rails and threw the provided key into the water below before beginning the long walk to 221B Baker Street leaving the padlock with the single word _'Molly'_ behind.

* * *

Sherlock entered his flat to be greeted by John who smiled amused,

"You should have stayed at the airport. I was just about to head there" the doctor said and Sherlock placed his suitcase down,

"You needn't bother. I'm home as you can see" he replied and John chuckled,

"Not for you. I don't know what you did but... Molly caught the next flight. Seems she's coming to live in London" John said causing Sherlock to look at him stunned,

"You must have ruined Paris for her" he teased,

"You wanna come and pick her up with me?" John asked genuinely and Sherlock nodded,

"Yes... Yes I believe I do" he answered and on the taxi drive to the airport Sherlock found himself retrieving his phone and opened a text conversation to Molly,

'Why?' he had typed and watched as three dots appeared indicating that she was writing back but a picture appeared of a padlock attached to what Sherlock identified as the Pont Des Arts bridge; A simple padlock with the single word _'Sherlock'_ written on the metal surface and Sherlock saw that Molly was writing again,

'I left the lock in Paris... Because you left for London with my heart' she wrote and Sherlock felt the world slow down as he typed back,

'Then it seems you are bringing my heart back to me... For I left it in Paris with you'

* * *

 **Yes I am a hopeless romantic. Please let me know if you enjoyed it!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


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